Tie down



M. HERIAN Aug. 29, 1967 TIE DOWN Filed Oct. 21, 1965 T 2 SheetsSheet 1 Aug. 29, 1967 HER|AN I 3,338,186

TIE DOWN Filed Oct. 21, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Ofi ice 3,338,186 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tie down retainer removably mountable in a flat car stake pocket or the like comprising a body telescopically insertable in the stake pocket, outwardly extending flange means at one surface of said body for abutting engagement with first portions of the pocket, locking means movably mounted at the opposite surface of said body for movement between a retracted position accommodating insertion of the body into the pocket and an extended position engaging portions of the pocket opposite said first portions for retaining the body in the pocket, and means for connecting a tie down to the body.

The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for tying or securing loads on railroad fiat cars and the like, and particularly, to improved tie down means detachably co-operable with the stake pockets customarily provided on flat cars for conveniently securing all varieties of loads to conventional flat cars without necessity for modification of the cars.

The invention has particular, though not exclusive, application to the tying of vehicles such as tractors onto flat cars without requiring special cars, wood blocking for the vehicles, or extensive manual labor.

In order to acquaint those skilled in the art with the manner of making and using my improved tie down, I shall describe, .in connection with the accompanying drawings,

the best mode presently contemplated by me of carrying out the invention.

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts FIGUREl is a fragmentary plan view of a railroad flat car illustrating use of my tie downs in securing a'tractor onto the car; I

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of two of the tie downs, the view depicting the manner in which two tie downs connected to opposite sides of a flat car can be interconnected for convenient transit with the car when they are not in active use;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective View of the clamp utilized in the tie tied;

.FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of one form ofretainer for the tie down, specifically the one illustrated at the upper left in FIGURE 2, the view showing a stake pocket in phantom lines to illustrate the mounting of the retainer in the stake pocket;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken line 55 of FIGURE 4, the stake in phantom; and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of another form of retainer, specifically the one illustrated at the lower right in FIGURE 2.

Referring to FIGURE 1, I have shown a railroad flat car 10 provided with spaced stake pockets 12 at each side thereof, as is conventional. The flat car is representative of a number of transport vehicles of the general character substantially on pocket again appearing down to engage the vehicle or other cargo to be such as flat bed and low-boy trucks, gondola cars, etc., that may be utilized for transporting vehicles and other loads. In FIGURE 1, the article to be transported is depicted as a wheeled tractor 14, and this vehicle is retained on the fiat car simply by six tie downs 16 which extend three from each side of the tractor to stake pockets at the respective adjacent sides of the car. These six ties fully restrain the vehicle against up and down, side to side and end to end movement, and to do so without assistance. In particular, when the fiat car is coupled to an engine or humped, and is thus started and stopped, all six chains work equally to restrain the vehicle against forward or backward movement.

As shown in FIGURE 2, each tie down 16 is comprised of a retainer 20a or 20b adapted for detachable mounting in a stake pocket, a flexible tie member 22 connected to the retainer and including means 24 for varying its length, and a clamp 26 adjustably mounted on the tie member for selective locking thereto at any of a number of locations along the length of the tie. The flexible tie member 22 is preferably comprised of two lengths of chain of appropriately selected strength and an interposed turnbuckle which serves as the means 24 for adjusting the length of the tie.

The clamp 25, as shown in FIGURE 3, is essentially a broad hook adapted to be hooked onto the frame or some other suitable part of the tractor 14. The hook includes a fairly long tongue which is provided with a keyhole slot 28 including a circular portion through which the chain 22 can slide and a slot portion which will receive any link in the chain whereby the two links to the opposite sides of the selected link will abut the tongue of the clamp and thereby secure the clamp to the selected link of the chain.

At the end of the portion thereof on which the clamp is mounted, the chain is provided with a large ring 30 of a diameter larger than the keyhole slot in the clamp 26, whereby the clamp is confined on the chain between the ring and the retainer.

On the other portion of each chain, i.e., between the turnbuckle and the retainer, I provide a spring clip 32 adapted for detachable connection with a small ring 34 carried by the large ring 30 of another tie down. Specifical- 1y, if the tractor is removed from the flat car and the operators do not wish to remove the tie downs due, for example, to the imminence of re-use thereof, the tie downs of each opposed pair can be hooked to one another to retain the same in neat order on the surface of the flat car. This accomplished, as shown in FIGURE 2, by laying the tie downs side by side on the fiat car and hooking the clip 32 of each tie downto the ring 34 of the other tie down. The retainers 20a and 20b of course remain in the stake pockets, not free thereof as depicted iri FIGURE 2.

The retainers 20a and 20b depicted in FIGURE 2 are different from one another but constructed and operating on the same principles. The retainer 20a is shown in greater detail in FIGURES 4 and 5 as comprising a one piece casting including a body 4001 of inverted U-shape, a central interior reinforcing flange 42a for the body and a pair of laterally outwardly turned flanges 44a at the bottom ends of the two legs or side walls of the body. As indicated, the body 40:: is of a size to slide telescopically upward into a stake pocket 12 and the flanges 44a project outward a sufficient distance to engage the lower margins of the pocket and prevent further upward movement of the body. The body is of essentially thesame height as the stake pocket and is provided on the upper surface thereof with a pair of locking lugs 46w adapted to project laterally outward over the upper surface of the stake pocket thereby to detachably secure the retainer in the pocket.

Each lug 46a is a rectangular strap of metal of a length to extend from substantially the mid-point of the body to a location outwardly of the body and overlying the stake pocket. Each lug is mounted on the body by a single bolt or other fastener 4811. Each lug is thus mounted on the body for turning movement about the respective fastener 48a, whereby the lugs may be turned 90 degrees from the outwardly extending positions of FIGURE 4 to positions within the marginal confines of the body so that the body may be slid into and out of the stake pocket without necessity for removal of the locking lugs. In fact, removal and possible loss of the bolts and lugs is prevented by staking or upsetting the threads on the bolts, as indicated at 50a, to prevent their removal from the body.

The lugs 46a are formed of a length to extend from the mid-point of the body for the purpose of providing a cooperable locking action between the two, so that neither can accidently turn out of locking position once secured therein. Specifically, as shown in FIGURE 4, neither lug can turn since the inner ends of the'two are substantially abutted with one another. To move the lugs to unlocked position, one fastener can be loosened a slight degree but the other must be loosened a relatively substantial degree. Then the lug on the latter fastener can be raised above the lug on the one fastener, whereafter both can be turned out of locking position. Consequently, when'the retainer is inserted'in a stake pocket, it cannot accidentally come loose. Yet, whenever it is desired to remove the retainer and the tie down, which would usually be the case between uses thereof, the retainer is easily removed.

The body 40a of the retainer 20a is provided in the top wall thereof with a slot 52a, generally similar to the sloted part of the keyhole in the clamp 26, to accommodate adjustable connection thereto of the chain 22 at any link on the chain. In use, the chain is first dropped through the stake pocket, a link thereof is slipped into the slot 52a, and the retainer and chain are then pushed up through the stake pocket. In this position, the chain is positively locked to the retainer since the stake pocket will prevent movement of the link out of the slot (see FIGURE The other form of retainer 20b provided according to this invention is illustrated in FIGURE 6 as comprising a body 40b for-med simply of front and rear walls or plates interconnected by a central web or flange 42b. The front wall only is provided with a forwardly outward extending flange 44b adapted to engage the bottom of a stake pocket to locate the retainer in the pocket. The body is provided at its upper end with an upstanding central boss 52b to which the chain 22 is adapted to be connected by a U-bolt or shackle 54b (see FIGURE 2). Below and to opposite sides of the boss 52b, the body includes a pair of inwardly extending flanges or shoulders 56b, each of which is stepped or otherwise formed to define an outwardly facing abutment 58b. Turnably mounted on each shoulder by a respective bolt or fastener 48b is a locking lug 46b of the same general character as previously described. In this case, however, the two lugs do not abut one another for preventing accidental turning thereof, but instead engage respective ones of the abutments 58b. To turn the lugs, it is thus necessary to loosen both fasteners sufliciently to accommodate raising of the lugs above therespective abutments, whereupon the lugs may be turned in or out as desired. Again, the fasteners are preferably staked, as indicated at 50b, to prevent removal of the lugs and bolts.

With either embodiment thereof, the retainer is quickly and easily assembled to and removed from a stake pocket so that a plurality of the tie downs may be quickly applied to a flat car to tie down a cargo, and may with equal case be removed from the car to prevent damage to or loss of the tie downs when they are not in use.

Once a retainer has been secured to a stake pocket,

the associated chain 22 may be run from the retainer to the cargo, the clamp 26 adjusted thereon to engage the cargo with only slight slack in the chain, and the tumbuckle then operated to draw the chain up tight thereby to secure the cargo to the car. It is thus manifest that the invention provides economical, convenient and practical means for tying cargoes to flat cars and the like.

While I have shown and described what I regard to be the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be appreciated that 7 various changes, rearrangements and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tie down retainer. removably mountable in a flat car tubular stake pocket or the like comprising a hollow body including a top and side walls telescopically insertable in the stake pocket, outwardly extending integral flange means at the lower ends of said side walls for abutting engagement with the lower edge of the pocket, locking means mounted at the top of said body for movement between a retracted position accommodating insertion of the body into the pocket and an extended position engaging the upper edge of said pocket, for retaining the body in the pocket, means for connecting a link chain tie down to the body comprising a slot formed in said top and opening to one edge thereof for flatwise receiving a chain link and forming an abutment for an adjacent link, said chain being extendable through the hollow of the body for variable length engagement therewith.

2. A retainer as set forth in claim 1, said locking means comprising lug means turnably mounted at the top of the body for movement from a position within the margins of the body to a position extending outwardly from the body.

3. A retainer as set forth in claim 2, said pair of lug means including portions co-operable with one another in their outwardly extending positions preventing accidental turning thereof.

4. A retainer as set forth in claim 1, said locking means comprising lug means, a fastener extending through said lug means into said body, means engaged by said lug means in its extended position for preventing movement of said lug means to retracted position, said fastener when tightened retaining said lug meansin engagement with the last named means, said fastener when loosened accommodating movement of said lug means along said fastener clear of said means and then accommodating movement of the lug means to retracted position.

5. A tie down for flat cars and the like having tubular stake pockets, comprising a retainer removably mountable in a stake pocket comprising a hollow body including a top and side walls telescopically insertable in the stake pocket, outwardly extending integral flange means at the lower ends of said side walls for abutting engagement with the lower edge of the pocket, locking means mounted at the top of said body for movement between a retracted position accommodating insertion of the body into the pocket and an extended position engaging the upper edge of said pocket, for retaining the body in the pocket, a link chain tie member, means connecting one end portion of the link chain to the body comprising a slot formed in said top flatwise receiving a chain link, said chain being extendable through the hollow of the body for variable length engagement therewith, and a variably engageable clamp secured to the opposed end of said chain for engagement with a load to be tied down.

6. A tie down as in claim 5 wherein the link chain in-' References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1921 Dymock 28014-7 8/1925 Edlich 2964 3 6 Dymock 296-43 Jordan et a1. 105382 Selzer 29643 Colman 24 8119 Atherton 105-43 68 Radey 105368 Clark -3 --4--. 248-461 Ibey n 280-179 Sonneville 2 38-349 XR ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner. DRAYTON HOFFMAN, Examiner. 

1. A TIE DOWN RETAINER REMOVABLY MOUNTABLE IN A FLAT CAR TUBULAR STAKE POCKET OR THE LIKE COMPRISING A HOLLOW BODY INCLUDING A TOP AND SIDE WALLS TELESCOPICALLY INSERTABLE IN THE STAKE POCKET, OUTWARLDY EXTENDING INTEGRAL FLANGED MEANS AT THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID SIDE WALLS FOR ABUTTING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LOWER EDGE OF THE POCKET, LOCKING MEANS MOUNTED AT THE TOP OF SAID BODY FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A RETRACTED POSITION ACCOMMODATING INSERTION OF THE BODY INTO THE POCKET AND AN EXTENDED POSITION ENGAGING THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID POCKET, FOR RETAINING THE BODY IN THE POCKET, MEANS FOR CONNECTING A LINK CHAIN TIE DOWN TO THE BODY COMPRISING A SLOT FORMED IN SAID TOP AND 